Altar to Sol: A rare 1,900-year-old monument dedicated to the Roman god of light and used in a secret underground ritual

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Become a Member in Seconds

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

The altar to Sol was pierced from behind so that light could shine through. (Image credit: © National Museums Scotland)QUICK FACTS

Name: Altar to Sol

What it is: A carved sandstone altar

Where it is from: Inveresk, Scotland

When it was made: Second century

Before construction workers began building a new cricket pavilion in Lewisvale Park, just east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2010, archaeologists were called in to survey the area. In their brief dig, the excavators discovered a unique Roman-era altar that had once been used to worship the sun god in a mysterious, male-only ritual.

The Altar to Sol was found in two pieces. Made of buff sandstone, it originally stood around 4 feet (1.23 meters) tall. Four female busts representing the seasons grace the top of the monument. In the middle, a face representing the sun god Sol rises from the monument, inscribed within an incised circle. The eyes and mouth of the humanlike face and the six rays of Sol's crown have been pierced so that the altar could be illuminated from behind. Traces of red paint were found on the front of the altar, and the two sides feature carved laurel wreaths.

Based on the inscription, the altar appears to have been dedicated by a soldier named Gaius Cassius Flavianus, who may have been in command of the Roman military base in Inveresk, Scotland. In A.D. 142, the fort at Inveresk was established along the Antonine Wall, where Roman soldiers were sent to protect the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire.

According to National Museums Scotland, which recently acquired the Altar to Sol along with a second altar that honors the god Mithras, these monuments would have been focal points for worshippers participating in secret religious ceremonies. The mythical Mithras was born from a rock and was often depicted slaying a bull. Sol played an important role in the Mithras cult and was sometimes equated with Mithras.

MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS

• Idol of Pomos: A 5,000-year-old fertility figurine from Cyprus that wears a miniature version of herself on a necklace
• Beadnet dress: A 4,500-year-old ancient Egyptian funeral 'gown' that was in vogue during the Old Kingdom
• Tudor Heart: A Renaissance gold necklace featuring a French-English pun on the love between Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon

Temples to Mithras, called Mithraea, were always situated underground, and only men were allowed to join the mysterious cult, which purported to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and goodness over evil.

"In the dark of the temple, you would see the rays and the eyes of the sun god glaring at you," Fraser Hunter, curator of Iron Age and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland, explained in a video. The altars to Sol and Mithras are unique in Scotland and point to the beliefs of soldiers stationed along the Antonine Wall. Mithras and Sol gave soldiers "a sense that there was a purpose to the world and that there was a life after death," Hunter said.

The rare carved altars will be on display at National Museums Scotland starting Nov. 14.

For more stunning archaeological discoveries, check out our Astonishing Artifacts archives.

Kristina KillgroveStaff writer

Kristina Killgrove is a staff writer at Live Science with a focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her articles have also appeared in venues such as Forbes, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, as well as a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was formerly a university professor and researcher. She has received awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science writing.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Loneliness may contribute to memory issues, but not dementia — they are 'not the same thing'
2. 2Naked mole rats wage bloody wars of succession to choose a new queen — but one colony did something scientists have never seen before
3. 3'The chances of you living 50 years are very small': Theoretical physicist explains why humanity likely won't survive to see all the forces unified
4. 4Can the US be trusted with the moon? A law scholar raises concerns after Artemis II's success.
5. 5Lyrid meteor shower 2026: See spring's first rain of 'shooting stars' peak in moonless skies